“Sorry I missed the ceremony,” I reply, a hint of regret in my voice, though I try to play it off casually.
Salena waves off my apology with a dismissive gesture. “It’s all good,” she assures me, her focus already shifting as she steps over to Kai. She wraps her arms around him in a tight hug, the affection between them palpable. “Thanks for walking me down the aisle, little brother,” she says, her voice softening with emotion.
“Anything for you, sis,” Kai responds, his tone steady and filled with the kind of love that only siblings share.
Salena pulls back, her hand lingering on Kai’s arm for a moment before she turns to Logan. He reaches out to shake Kai’s hand, then gives me a slight nod of acknowledgment. There’s a quiet understanding between us, a mutual respect that doesn’t need words.
With a final glance around the room, Salena and Logan link arms and head toward the doors. The room erupts into cheers, the sound filling the air as they make their exit.
Kai pulls me back against his chest with a firm tug, his arms wrapping around me as he rocks us side to side in time with the music.
“They are still scared of me.” It comes out sounding like a question, but it’s a statement. Everyone is scared of me.
Kai turns me in his arms. “They will come around when they get to know you better. You have been a mystery to all of us over the past year.”
Kai and I take our wolf forms and run home through the woods. It’s a new experience for me to run alongside someone in my animal form. I’ve never established a connection with shifters, and real wolves instinctively avoid me, detecting my strange aura. My wolf is my primary shifter form, but I have others I can use as well. I just prefer this form.
Sensing a shift in the air, I duck as Kai jumps over my head and takes the lead. I huff out a laugh. He wishes! No one is as fast as me. Magic infuses every muscle in my body, and I move faster than the human eye can track, half wolf, half shadow.
I pass Kai without him noticing and make it to the house before him. I shift when I reach his lawn and turn, crossing my arms to face the woods. Kai emerges from the trees and doesn’t break his stride, his wolf charging at me. My arms drop as I realize his intentions too late. He launches into the air, his paws connecting with my shoulders as he takes me to the ground. We land with a heavy thud, and he shifts, hands wrapping around my wrists in an instant, lifting them above my head and pinning me to the ground. I revel in the weight of his body on mine as he straddles my hips, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“You cheated,” he huffs out, looking a little disheveled.
“I did no such thing. I’m just faster than you,” I tease.
Kai’s eyes narrow, and he leans down until our noses are touching. The way he is staring at me makes my heart pound, and the intoxicating scent of him encompasses me, leaving me lightheaded.
Kai’s blue eyes darken, sending a shiver of anticipation through me. His mouth drops to mine, teeth nipping playfully at my bottom lip before he begins to pull away. But I’m not ready to let him go. My legs instinctively wrap around his waist, and I smoothly roll us in one fluid motion, cursing under my breath at my dress as it limits my range of motion. Kai doesn’t give me the upper hand, though. With a low growl, he shifts his weight and rolls us again, almost instantly reclaiming control.
The sensation of the cool grass against my back makes me laugh as we both wrestle to gain the advantage.
Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, I yank him to the side so I can make my escape, but Kai tackles me from behind and rolls me onto my back. A burst of laughter escapes me as his hands land on my hips. His grip tightens, and then his mouth is on mine.
I completely surrender to him.
My stomach somersaults when I feel the press of his body against me once more, igniting a surge of warmth through my veins. With my heart pounding, I swiftly rip open his shirt, the buttons popping off and scattering like confetti on the grass. I skim my hands across his abdomen and lightly pinch his sides. Kai lifts off me and doesn’t hesitate when he grabsthe neck of my black dress, tearing it down the middle, and a soft breeze caresses my bare chest. I look up at him, my bottom lip caught between my teeth.
“Fuck, you’re perfect,” he growls.
Then, in a matter of seconds, he has us both naked on the grass, his warm body covering mine as he pushes inside me.
“Kai!” I cry out, my hands gripping his biceps tightly as my back arches in response.
Kai pulls out so slowly I want to cry out in frustration, but I know if I do, he will make me wait longer. With deliberate slowness, he eases himself back in, savoring each second as he maintains a teasing, torturous pace.
“Kai . . . please,” I moan, rocking my hips to meet him.
“Tell me you cheated,” he says, grinning down at me.
“W-what?”
“You heard me.” He stops, fully seated inside of me, and rolls his hips.
I only just manage to stop my eyes from falling shut at the motion.
“Kai.” I scowl up at him.
“Admit it and I’ll give you everything you need.”
